The UK’s leading manufacturer and supplier of copper tube and pipes has recorded an impressive spike in sales following its acquisition last year of Redditch-based Wardtec, a water management product specialist.
Lawton Tubes, which is headquartered in Coventry, and has been producing vital material for the healthcare, air conditioning, plumbing and general engineering sectors for more than 105 years, purchased Wardtec in May 2023 and the seamless integration of the business has already led to a £5 million increase in sales.
The deal has given the Coventry firm the opportunity to diversify into a whole new product range, as well as the chance to establish an important foothold in the rapidly emerging renewables and thermal energy storage markets. Wardtec customers have also benefited from being part of a larger group and the additional resources and security of supply that brings, especially with global disruption still threatening a lot of industrial growth.
Giles Lawton, operations managing director at Lawton Tubes, said: “We already had a strong 40-year relationship with Wardtec, so the acquisition made perfect sense from an operational, product and shared values perspective. Eight months on and I am delighted to say the combined entity has secured an additional £5 million of business, an impressive return in what has only been a short period of time. We have added new jobs in Redditch and the combined engineering expertise is helping us deliver production efficiencies as we continue to work with strategic customers in both the UK and overseas.”
Founded in 1982, Wardtec specialises in the design, manufacture and supply of fittings and assemblies for the water management industry. Most of its fittings are designed for seamless connections between pipework and stored water vessels for use by plumbing and heating professionals.
Investment in the latest CNC machining capabilities and constant staff training has seen it develop a reputation for reverse engineering and high-end CAD/CAM solutions, delivering a range of global supply solutions for its customer base.
Anthony Ward, who took over as managing director of Wardtec from his father in 2005, said: “A lot has changed since we started the business in the family garage over 42 years ago and any deal we did had to build on our current position as the UK’s only copper cylinder fittings manufacturer.
“That is why the Lawton acquisition was so perfect for us. We share similar sectors, the same commitment to quality, and the same values that only exist in a family-run company. The synergy was perfect, and we knew having the additional backing and purchasing power could unlock new opportunities in both our established markets and in new ones that could be brought to the table.”
He concluded: “That is exactly what has happened in the first eight months with the growth in joint sales across both sides of the business. This is just the start!”
Regular investment in new warehousing, equipment and company-wide training has seen Lawton Tubes achieve year-on-year growth for the last decade, with turnover touching £230 million and a workforce of just over 140 located across its headquarters in Coventry and a second site in Poole.